Kei Nishikori: I can't play very aggressively like Roger Federer

Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori says he he is well aware of his popularity in Asian countries but insists he is someone who "likes to live quietly."

Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up, has won 12 ATP titles and his career-high ranking saw him sitting at No. 4 in the world.

"I've been feeling a sense of responsibility for others for the last five years. I sometimes wonder why I've become such famous though it can't be helped anyway, I'm a person who likes to live quietly," Nishikori said, per Seiadoumogera/Twitter

Nishikori, who turned 31 years of age this past December, underlined that he is not lacking motivation ahead of the new season.

"My motivation about tennis has been increasing every year, I'm more and more keen to be stronger for some reason. I couldn't play lots of matches last year, so I have a strong desire to play matches, win tournaments, and win Slams," Nishikori claimed.

Nishikori looking up to Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer 

Nishikori, who underwent a season-ending elbow surgery in October 2019, played only four tournaments last season. 

"I was ready in last April, but I couldn't play (due to the pandemic) so it was already Sept when I finally came back. If I had started playing again a bit earlier, I might have regained my feeling (within last year), but at the same time it was nice to have enough time for rehab," Nishikori said.

Nishikori hasn't had much success against world No. 1 Djokovic or 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer but he has been looking up to those two greats.

"With rock-solid play like Djokovic I can't make the most of my potential while I can't play very aggressively like Federer, so I try to play in between them. I'm trying to win more points at the net rather than just come to the net more frequently," Nishikori revealed.

Nishikori, now ranked at No. 41 in the world, knows it will take time for him to get back into his old form and start making notable results.

"I know it will need time to be back in top 10. It took a half year to feel like I was at my best after wrist injury. Top 20 players are stronger than five years ago, so it's not easy, but I believe I'll be back in top 10 if I can play normally. 2021 is the year of restart," Nishikori acknowledged.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3aXNAF2